Pair charged with stealing $2,500 worth of copper pipes from Mexico home

MEXICO, Maine — Two men are charged with stealing $2,500 worth of copper piping from a home on Porter Bridge Road, police said Wednesday.

Lt. Roy Hodsdon said police arrested Anthony Mann, 22, of Kimball Avenue in Mexico and Nicholas R. Varnum, 21, of Penobscot Street in Rumford on April 10 and 11, respectively. They are charged with burglary, theft, and criminal mischief, he said.

“Officer William Cook was able to gain information and DNA evidence at the scene of the crime, which helped us identify the suspects,” Hodsdon said.

On April 6, a Porter Bridge Road resident reported that someone entered their building and stole $2,500 of copper piping from the basement. Hodsdon said shortly after the burglary, some of the stolen copper was found at a salvage yard in West Paris. Upon further investigation, Mann and Varnum were confirmed to have been at the salvage yard following the theft, he said.

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“We estimated $2,500 in damages, and that’s just for the replacement of what was taken,” Hodsdon said. “There was a lot of damage done to the basement, and a lot of brass filings and other objects taken or damaged.”

Mann was also charged with violation of condition of release and remained at the Oxford County Jail on Wednesday afternoon, due to a bail and probation hold. Varnum was released from the Mexico Police Department on $1,500 unsecured bail.

Both men have court dates of July 2 at Oxford County Superior Court in Paris.